Well, if you're the department's commissioner, it might be appearing before a legislative committee that wants to know why the wait at the DMV is always so long.

"That's probably one of the sources of great consternation to the general public that we all hear about," said Sen. Antonietta Boucher, R-Wilton, ranking member of the legislative Transportation Committee. "No matter what leadership or administration it might be, it's always the brunt of a lot of jokes, as you well know. If you could make that information available it would be greatly appreciated. If that was publicly available I think if you show a trend line that's positive for the department, it would be a good-news story."

Commissioner Melody A. Currey, a former longtime House member, seemed to take the heat in stride on Wednesday as the committee discussed a proposal that would require the agency to publicly report the wait times at DMV branches.

The agency's goal is to give people a pleasant and quick experience, Currey said.

"Today, however, you'll find that we at the DMV are being slammed all over the place," she said, warning that between the recent blizzard and school vacations, lines were long for the full range of DMV services. "We don't have as many people behind the counters today as we normally would have."

What would it take to reduce waiting times, Sen. Andrew M. Maynard, D-Stonington, co-chairman of the committee, asked.

"You're making enormous strides there, but we want to give you the resources required because it's the one area of government that everyone in the state at some point has to interact with," Maynard said. "Is it purely a matter of financial resources?"

"We are always looking for ways that we can enhance the ability of the customers to walk in and walk out in a timely manner," Currey said, adding that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's budget proposal would give the DMV the support it needs.